I’m not sure if in the history of marketing there has ever been a time where the small business advertisers were so far out ahead of the marketing departments of the brands the retailers were selling. The past isn’t worth spending too much time thinking about but a new study from the Small Business Social Index is noteworthy.
The results of the study tell us that SMBs are very willing to take the time and effort to communicate with their customers via social media sites. And, most of the conversations are about the brand name products they sell, the promotions they offer and the services they provide. Not at all unlike the information that is communicated in newspaper ads and radio spots.
However, while major brands help their retailers with traditional advertising and marketing materials, they aren’t currently helping with the digital mediums that have become so popular and the dealers admit they could use a little help. From the study:
The takeaway is that social media works, your dealers are willing to use it and they need some help. Not too much different than the scenario for local Google adword campaigns and microsite landing pages for banner ad campaigns.
Consumers are online, the dealers get it, now it’s time for the brands to adapt to digital media, too.